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Vision Books for Young Readers
Father Damien and the Bells
This 25th volume in the acclaimed Vision Books series of saints' lives for youth 9-15 years old is the story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world. He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and even after Damien himself contracted leprosy he carried on working for his "fellow lepers" to the end. Illustrated
180 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2022
This book is part of the Vision Books Biographies now published by Ignatius Press. It is the fourth in the series that I have read, the first was Saint Jose, Boy Cristero Martyr. I had pickup a couple of others, this one Father Damien and St. Katharine Drexel few years back but have not get around to reading them because I really prefer eBooks to physical because of my dyslexia. The Ignatius site lists 33 books in the series currently, but I have found at least 3 missing from that list. Which was listed in the back of the very old edition of Fighting Father Duffy book that I read. The description of this volume is:
“This 25th volume in the acclaimed Vision Books series of saints' lives for youth 9-15 years old is the story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world. He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and even after Damien himself contracted leprosy he carried on working for his "fellow lepers" to the end.”
The chapters in the book are:
A Fireside in Flanders
Decision of a Champion
The Old Tower Falls
Call to the South Seas
Voyage round the Horn
Land of Volcanoes
Petero’s Problem
Shadow of the Gray Island
Night under the Pandanus Tree
The Rosary and the Hammer
The Enemy Strikes Back
Aloha Kamiano
Epilogue
Author’s Note
The first 6 chapters explore Damien’s youth, as Joseph (Jef) de Veuster, the next 4 explore his missionary work. And the final two and Epilogue explore his decline and the lasting impact of his life and witness. A quite that particularly stuck me was:
“Flanders is a land of bells, and Joseph de Veuster was to know and love their pealing all his life. Many bells would ring for him: monastery bells, paced into prayerful silence; ship’s bells, marking time across two oceans; tinny chapel bells, clanging madly in a tropical earthquake; the almost soundless tinkle of a tiny Communion bell in a darkened room; and, finally, Saint Rombaut’s again, flinging a mighty peal of triumph across the world, even to the bitter gray cliffs of an island once known as Godforsaken.”
I have read many books about and by Saint Damien. My first encounter with Father Damien was back on retreat in 2006, Professor Michael W. Higgins was talking about his book, Stalking the Holy and speaking about Saints whose causes were in process, and some he expected would never have a cause. He spoke about Blessed Damien (at the time) and we watched the film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. From that weekend on I have had a fascination with this saint. And I have read the collected letters a few times now, Father Damien's Letters. In all that I have read I was unaware of Damien’s association with Bells. Both his love of the bells at home growing up, and his requests for bells for all the churches and chapels he built in Hawaii prior to his time on Molokai. Based on my readings there are a few factual errors in this volume. For example Damien was one of four priests that volunteered to go to Molokai, in rotation. Damien went first and was never replaced at his request, and because of some conflict with the Health Board and Diocese.
But even with the few errors this is an excellent read. I was reading it at a waterpark and a family was across from me with 4 son’s and a daughter. The boys kept trying to read the back of the book. When I told them wat it was about even though they were evangelical and not Catholic they were excited when I gave them my copy after finishing.
I plan on reading all the books in this series that are in print and as many of the out of print that I can track down. I returned to this series because I had finished the 38 books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media. Those books are geared for a younger audience, and these are written for older readers and go deeper into the subject matters of each volume. This is a great book in an excellent series. My only complaint is that only about a third of the books are available in digital formats, with my dual form of dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues eBooks are our preferred format. These books are written for a Middle Grade or Teens in mind, but this one and the others I have read are excellent volumes for readers of all ages. A great biography of an amazing Saint, I can easily recommend this book.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
“This 25th volume in the acclaimed Vision Books series of saints' lives for youth 9-15 years old is the story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world. He spent his life caring for all the needs of the outcast lepers, and even after Damien himself contracted leprosy he carried on working for his "fellow lepers" to the end.”
The chapters in the book are:
A Fireside in Flanders
Decision of a Champion
The Old Tower Falls
Call to the South Seas
Voyage round the Horn
Land of Volcanoes
Petero’s Problem
Shadow of the Gray Island
Night under the Pandanus Tree
The Rosary and the Hammer
The Enemy Strikes Back
Aloha Kamiano
Epilogue
Author’s Note
The first 6 chapters explore Damien’s youth, as Joseph (Jef) de Veuster, the next 4 explore his missionary work. And the final two and Epilogue explore his decline and the lasting impact of his life and witness. A quite that particularly stuck me was:
“Flanders is a land of bells, and Joseph de Veuster was to know and love their pealing all his life. Many bells would ring for him: monastery bells, paced into prayerful silence; ship’s bells, marking time across two oceans; tinny chapel bells, clanging madly in a tropical earthquake; the almost soundless tinkle of a tiny Communion bell in a darkened room; and, finally, Saint Rombaut’s again, flinging a mighty peal of triumph across the world, even to the bitter gray cliffs of an island once known as Godforsaken.”
I have read many books about and by Saint Damien. My first encounter with Father Damien was back on retreat in 2006, Professor Michael W. Higgins was talking about his book, Stalking the Holy and speaking about Saints whose causes were in process, and some he expected would never have a cause. He spoke about Blessed Damien (at the time) and we watched the film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. From that weekend on I have had a fascination with this saint. And I have read the collected letters a few times now, Father Damien's Letters. In all that I have read I was unaware of Damien’s association with Bells. Both his love of the bells at home growing up, and his requests for bells for all the churches and chapels he built in Hawaii prior to his time on Molokai. Based on my readings there are a few factual errors in this volume. For example Damien was one of four priests that volunteered to go to Molokai, in rotation. Damien went first and was never replaced at his request, and because of some conflict with the Health Board and Diocese.
But even with the few errors this is an excellent read. I was reading it at a waterpark and a family was across from me with 4 son’s and a daughter. The boys kept trying to read the back of the book. When I told them wat it was about even though they were evangelical and not Catholic they were excited when I gave them my copy after finishing.
I plan on reading all the books in this series that are in print and as many of the out of print that I can track down. I returned to this series because I had finished the 38 books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media. Those books are geared for a younger audience, and these are written for older readers and go deeper into the subject matters of each volume. This is a great book in an excellent series. My only complaint is that only about a third of the books are available in digital formats, with my dual form of dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues eBooks are our preferred format. These books are written for a Middle Grade or Teens in mind, but this one and the others I have read are excellent volumes for readers of all ages. A great biography of an amazing Saint, I can easily recommend this book.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
December 13, 2024
A nice children's nonfiction biography of a priest ministering to lepers in Hawaii. Yes, Father Damien was Catholic, and so many references are made to certain rites, though doctrines aren't usually detailed. Father Damien's faithfulness to God and love for others is made prominent, which creates an inspiring example. Catholic traditions notwithstanding, this is an excellent choice for younger readers to be introduced to a missionary's life.
February 29, 2024
Read for morning basket
May 27, 2019
A short and simple story about the life of this great saint. A quick read, but nevertheless leaves the reader inspired and in awe of the virtues of this man.
November 17, 2025
This is old-school hagiography rather than straight biography. That said, the Sheehans do a nice job of introducing Joseph De Veuster, the big Belgian farm kid who took the name Damien in religion as a mark of respect for the third-century Christian doctor of the same name ("Cosmos and Damian" are twin brothers in the traditional Catholic litany of the saints).
As an alumnus of Damien Memorial High School in Honolulu, I found inspiration in this account of Fr. Damien's determined nineteenth-century missionary work in what was then the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Why church bells share billing in the book title with Fr. Damien himself isn't explained at a level any deeper than fond memory of what Damien had grown up hearing. Similarly, the Hawaiian boys who eventually help Damien with his work are composites of actual people, unlike the adults in the story.
Those are mild criticisms. I enjoyed the book, which I found in a used bookstore. The Sheehans made me want to learn more about Father Damien, whom his flock called "Kamiano."
Damien died of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) in 1889, after years of faithful missionary service. Father Damien and the Bells was originally published in 1957, soon after a re-examination of Damien's life and work by the Catholic Church had started, and just before Hawaii and Alaska became states. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI had Fr. Damien added the canonical list of known saints, declaring that May 10 could be observed as his feast day.
As an alumnus of Damien Memorial High School in Honolulu, I found inspiration in this account of Fr. Damien's determined nineteenth-century missionary work in what was then the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Why church bells share billing in the book title with Fr. Damien himself isn't explained at a level any deeper than fond memory of what Damien had grown up hearing. Similarly, the Hawaiian boys who eventually help Damien with his work are composites of actual people, unlike the adults in the story.
Those are mild criticisms. I enjoyed the book, which I found in a used bookstore. The Sheehans made me want to learn more about Father Damien, whom his flock called "Kamiano."
Damien died of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) in 1889, after years of faithful missionary service. Father Damien and the Bells was originally published in 1957, soon after a re-examination of Damien's life and work by the Catholic Church had started, and just before Hawaii and Alaska became states. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI had Fr. Damien added the canonical list of known saints, declaring that May 10 could be observed as his feast day.
August 22, 2010
A great biography on St. Damien's life. It's geared for readers 9-15 YO, but whenever I want to learn more about a saint, I start with these--they're THAT good.
May 1, 2017
Truly enjoyed reading this book w/my son. If you are looking for a classic, mired in morality and selflessness, this is the book for your family. Read it today!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews